Yela / Kela statuette, DRC. - Lot 166

Yela / Kela statuette, DRC. African anthropomorphic figure carved in a very graphic manner. The flat-skulled head is prism-shaped, the legs hexagonal. The pubis forms an unexpected prominence. Lustrous patina, golden brown, erosions 35 x 10 cm The Lualaba province was home to several closely related ethnic groups with similar associations. The Mbole and Yela are known for their statues embodying, according to D. Biebuck ,ofika . The lilwa, an association with dogmatic initiation rites, was in the habit of judging and sentencing to hanging those guilty of breaking the rules imposed. These offences ranged from murder to adultery, and included breaking the secrecy surrounding the lilwa. Disgraced, the bodies of the condemned received no funeral and were buried in the forest. It was during the ceremonies at the end of the initation, presided over by a notable isoya, that these statues were exhibited, presented lying on a litter. In addition to this type of figure, the Yela also sculpt effigies of ancestors.